-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Look out air travelers . A congressional slugfest over the U.S. deficit is threatening to trigger higher airfares and widespread slowdowns at the nation 's airports .

Remember that big fight in Congress last year over the national budget deficit ? Eventually Congress and the White House agreed to scheduled budget cuts that are so deep that lawmakers would be forced to come together on tough choices . Washington wonks call these cuts `` sequestration . ''

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The Federal Aviation Administration is in the cross hairs for sequestration -- with a possible $ 1 billion in mandatory cuts scheduled to occur as soon as January . The FAA chief warned of the impact of such cuts . And a new study says the cuts would result in fewer air traffic controllers , customs officers and security officers . The FAA 's sweeping overhaul of the U.S. air traffic system also would take a hit .

NextGen , as it 's called , is aimed at improving efficiency and increasing safety .

`` If the sequester were to occur , we would face some very drastic cuts in services and these investments , '' said FAA acting administrator Michael Huerta , in an October speech . `` These cuts would impact air traffic control services , NextGen implementation , and aircraft certification -- all of which are critical to our ability to move forward with aviation in this century .

`` They would result in significantly less efficient and less convenient air travel service for the American traveling public . We will always , however , maintain the highest levels of safety . ''

It 's anybody 's guess -- and up to Congress -- whether the cuts will actually happen . But groups representing pilots and the aerospace industry say it 's time to get nervous .

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Marion Blakey , who headed the FAA during the George W. Bush administration and who now leads an aerospace industry lobbying organization , warned in August that just the threat of the cuts is already having a chilling effect . Consumers should be worried , she warns .

`` This will affect their ability to fly when they want and how they want , '' Blakey says . `` It will certainly be a drag on the airlines , which then will incur great cost , which then will be passed on to the consumer or it will cut into the carriers ' very meager profits and that 's not healthy . ''

Blakey 's group , the Aerospace Industries Association , and Econsult Corp. released a study in August that paints a worst-case scenario , including possible closure of 246 airport control towers , 1,500 fewer air traffic controllers and the loss of 9,000 security screeners and 1,600 customs officers .

Obviously , fewer controllers , screeners and customs people would throw a wrench into an already stressed air travel system .

`` A billion dollars is a body blow to the FAA , '' Blakey says .

For industry planners , Blakey says January is right around the corner , and making industry decisions amid such uncertainty comes with an economic price that will affect the consumer .

Not only would airline passengers feel the cuts , but pilots of small aircraft , known as general aviation , or GA , will see ramifications , both in safety and efficiency , says Melissa Rudinger , senior vice president of government affairs at the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association .

The cuts could include the shut down of more than 200 control towers , `` which operate almost exclusively at GA locations , '' she says .

`` It 's unclear to us how the FAA would go about literally closing the doors and turning out the lights , '' she says . `` But there 's definitely a safety risk that would have us concerned . ''

Safety would not be an issue , Blakey says .

`` I have every confidence they 'll keep it safe , '' she says , although she expects FAA controllers will slow traffic at small airports by reducing hours of operation and capacity .

`` I do not anticipate that the FAA will reduce hours and personnel at the nation 's big air traffic control centers and the TRACON radar tracking centers , '' she says .

For now , many in the aviation industry are taking a wait-and-see attitude .

`` There is a great deal of uncertainty about whether sequestration will actually happen and what the real impact would be on commercial aviation , '' writes a spokeswoman for the airline industry trade group Airlines for America .

Other groups are n't talking at all .

The National Air Traffic Controllers Association would n't comment in August , and the FAA referred questions to the Office of Management and Budget .

The OMB has 30 days to analyze the sequestration legislation and to make recommendations to the White House . An internal OMB memo -LRB- PDF -RRB- in July said sequestration would be `` highly destructive to national security and domestic priorities , as well as to core government functions , '' and that Obama has submitted deficit reduction proposals to Congress aimed at avoiding the cuts .

The cuts would delay deployment of the multibillion-dollar NextGen program by at least a decade , according to the study .

`` It 's a very big deal to keep that on track , '' Blakey says . `` It 's going to get hit ; it 's just a question of how much . ''

This is not just about FAA , Blakey says . Think about the idea of cutting 9,000 Transportation Security Administration screeners . `` How do you like the lines now ? How are you going to like them then ? ''

She says , `` People would like to treat this as a hypothetical or a simple congressional debate . '' But the threat will grow , she warns , unless `` people step up and try again to address the long-term issues '' surrounding the nation 's debt and deficit -- or they postpone the FAA cuts to give themselves more time for a compromise .

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Budget battle may result in slower air travel , higher fares

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FAA cuts could lead to fewer controllers , security and customs officers , study says

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Ex-FAA chief : Fear of the cuts is already having a chilling effect